Music
Ad agency turns homeless people into wi-fi hotspots at SXSW
by Nicole Villeneuve
March 12, 2012
Heading to SXSW this week? Worried about those insane U.S. data rates and roaming charges? Fear not: ad agency BBH has launched a program that will turn Austin, TX’s homeless people into wireless hotspots.
Here’s how it works: individuals wearing Homeless Hotspot t-shirts will be strategically placed around the city. They’re carrying 4G hotspot MiFi devices (compact wireless router). You pay them whatever you’d like in cash on via PayPal on the log in. The homeless person gets the money directly, and you get a reliable connection.
The knee-jerk reaction to this can’t be anything but: yikes. It’s dehumanizing, exploitative; “dystopian,” even. But the program was created with a local homeless advocacy group, Front Steps. They see it as a good idea; empowering, educational, engaging, and of course, profitable to the individuals.
No one profits from this project except the homeless individuals themselves. But their—these human beings’—shirts do say “I am a hotspot.” What do you think of this project? Would you pay for this experiment? And is this what we’ve really come to? [via New York Times SXSW]
